China Girl blog 7th July 2020

In July summer starts to relax. The lime-coloured leaves of early summer have mellowed to a rich green. The wheat and barley have started to turn golden. All is well with high summer except today it is cold, wet and windy; this is our island summer.

Mother and Mathew gathered elder flowers from the fields and made the most delicious elderflower cordial which is lovely with strawberries, and especially good as a drink with tonic water. Mathew also picked lime flowers from the avenue and made cordial, sadly It is not as good as the elderflower.

After three long weeks, the forty duckling chicks which Mother bought to clear the reflection pool of weed, have at long last taken to the water. They cost £2.50 each, were reared in a shed and had never seen water before. They swam around the pool in groups, not at all interested in clearing the weed, but waiting to be fed on corn!

Poor Mathew, his flight to Greece to see his son was cancelled for the second time. This meant he had again to pay for cancelling his Air BNB accommodation, with no refund. The result was he decided to drive to Greece. The next morning, he set off driving through France, Switzerland and Italy to catch a ferry at Brindisi, crossing over to Greece; what a long drive. However, as he rode his motorbike twenty thousand miles to China, a mere two thousand seemed nothing, but Mother was understandably worried.

At last after three long months of shut down, Ma went to the supermarket; she felt a sense of freedom, let us hope it lasts.

Despite the shortening days, the garden is still very needy; it is hard to keep on top of it, especially as Mathew is away. At the end of the day, there is still much to be done – watering the many containers and the greenhouses, feeding the ducks and the hungry hedgehogs, who eat as much as a cat. Shutting up the shop, and trying to work out if Ma has entered the correct amount on the izettle. Ma hates anything electronic and always makes a muddle.

Not many people in the garden so few plants sold. Ma locked one poor man in the loo, but luckily, she heard his cry for help, after his wife asked Ma if she had seen him!

Summer seems to have disappeared. It is cold and windy, let us hope it will come back and bring us some business.